Two, including 60-year-old US national, booked for raping minor over several years

MUMBAI: The Sion police have booked a 60-year-old US citizen and a 43-year-old Mumbai resident for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman over several years, beginning when she was a minor. Both accused have been issued notices and allowed to go, police said.

According to officials, the 25-year-old complainant, who now lives in New Jersey and works with a multinational corporation, approached the Khar police in May during a visit to India. She alleged that the abuse began when she was 17 and continued for nearly eight years.

The Khar police initially registered the case under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case was subsequently transferred to the Sion police, as the incidents reportedly took place within their jurisdiction.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that one of the accused, a Sion resident, sexually assaulted her multiple times, using threats, emotional manipulation, and physical force. She also accused the other man, a 43-year-old Khar resident, of assaulting her from the time she was 17, under the pretext of being in love with her and promising marriage. “The complainant has stated that the trauma from these incidents continued to affect her for years,” said a Sion police officer. “She decided to file a formal complaint during her recent trip to Mumbai.”

Police said the woman had known the accused for several years and had even lived with the US-based man during her studies abroad. His daughter was a close friend of hers, and he acted as her local guardian. Investigators believe the alleged abuse spanned from 2015 to 2023.

The case has been registered under Sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault) and 8 (sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. In addition, the Indian Penal Code sections invoked include 34 (common intention), 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty), 376 (rape), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

As the complainant has returned to the United States, police said they plan to record a detailed statement through official channels. “The accused have been served notices under section 35(3) of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allows police to summon individuals for questioning without immediate arrest in certain cases,” the officer said.

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